Bad news for the Twins coming from Rochester tonight, as it's being reported that Kevin Slowey was scratched from his rehab start with the Rochester Red Wings and his headed back to Minneapolis to be examined by club doctors. Slowey's been trying to rehab from chips in his pitching elbow without surgery, though that now seems like it won't be possible. For now, it means that 23 year-old Anthony Swarzak will remain in the Twins rotation. Swarzak's no Slowey, but he's been an able replacement in his first seven big league starts with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. The Twins can probably expect that to jump a bit due to some iffy walk and strikeout rates, but keeping Swarzak in the rotation at least for now isn't the end of the world.
As Le Velle Neal points out in his original story, this might come back to bite the Twins at the approaching trade deadline. With Slowey out, upper-level pitching is no longer a strength for them to deal from. That could affect them in their quest to add a middle infielder like Freddy Sanchez.
If Slowey is out for the rest of the season (and that won't be decided until Slowey sees the docs in Minnesota), the Twins may want to think about adding an arm, even with Swarzak around. He only threw 146 2/3 innings last year and given his already relative low K/BB ratio (5.1/3.2 with the Twins), it might be smart to have more insurance for him than old knuckle-baller R.A. Dickey.
They might decide against that move because first four slots of their rotation are full of talent with Nick Blackburn, Scott Baker, Francisco Liriano, and Glen Perkins, but the results haven't been great as only Blackburn's ERA is above average this year. Standing pat with their rotation may be their downfall this year, especially with Slowey out.
